Harbor Freight engine stand modification

-

Righty Tighty

Blame it on the dog
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2019
Messages
2,961
Reaction score
3,515
Location
Sahuarita, AZ
I've encountered a problem on the Harbor Freight engine stands. The holes on the arms that mount to your engine block are 16mm (~5/8") in diameter, while the bolts are 3/8" (~9.5mm).
d4mJXolgQYWH2HIXXTuZJg.jpg
fullsizeoutput_7d2.jpeg

I understand that they likely make the sleeves larger than most bolts in order to make them compatible to a wider variety of engine blocks, but to me, the difference is far too big to be safe. In fact, I've had a bolt snap in the past from the excessive sheer force from not being supported evenly along the shank. This was a grade 5 bolt that broke. I do expect to hear some advice and/or criticism here, saying that I've been doing it wrong or maybe some suggestions for different ways to do it, and that's okay. But here's what I did to fill the gap.

I found a 3/8" ID x 2" bushing and a larger bushing that the 3/8" would fit into snugly. I also made sure the larger bushing would be a nice press fit into the sleeve of the bracket.
fullsizeoutput_7d4.jpeg
4DAB6TzsQ5eChHF9s0tyBg.jpg


Pressed in with a vise or shop press. A C-clamp would also work, or you can get creative.
Y%xc5p28SSSAcHXUZSMdUg.jpg
iWZLcfyhS9eiqpkL1whmyQ.jpg
9tjilHsvQwKtUMDuQxcBxw.jpg


Here you can see the bolt inserted, with support from the bushings all the way around. With the engine mounted on the stand, it feels much more stable.
GFOT5JGeTUGe0u+jPZ45Ig.jpg


Now again, this is just something I did that I thought would support the bolts better. If there's something I've been missing or doing wrong before, criticism is certainly welcome.
 
Last edited:
I like it! I wouldn't say you've been doing it wrong.....but I always use grade 8 bolts. And the reason for the big holes on the ears is for different size bolts. Not everything has sissy *** 3/8 bellhousing bolts. lol The Fords have 7/16. But if 3/8 bolts are all you're ever gonna see, that's a good mod!
 
I like it! I wouldn't say you've been doing it wrong.....but I always use grade 8 bolts. And the reason for the big holes on the ears is for different size bolts. Not everything has sissy *** 3/8 bellhousing bolts. lol The Fords have 7/16. But if 3/8 bolts are all you're ever gonna see, that's a good mod!
I honestly don't know why I didn't just go with grade 8s.
 
I did this last year with my HF stand, it works great. I used two different bushings, one for 1/2" bolts with another bushing inside that one for 3/8" bolts. Everything is nice and tight. And I agree with the OP, things hanging in a sloppy manner is not good. Tighter, level, and grade 8 is the way to go.
 
I always use grade 8, in fact I have a 426 Hemi sitting on a stand right now in my shop, has been there for like 2 years, yes the heads and intake and headers are on it.
 
EXCELLENT. I thought about that every time I used my engine stand, but never thought to do anything about it. Good job!
 
I'll withhold my typical commentary on the stand, and recommend only OEM and not hardware store screws. Most fasteners available today have a high likelihood of being Chinese counterfeit trash.

A trip to pick n pull will net you a lifetime supply for any motor, for the price of admission
 
I only use Number matching fasteners on my HF engine stand.....................................
 
I drill and screw a rectangular piece of 1" thick plywood to the bottom spine of my engine stands to hold a catch pan or the guts so I can move them around and out of the way without misplacing anything.
 
I drill and screw a rectangular piece of 1" thick plywood to the bottom spine of my engine stands to hold a catch pan or the guts so I can move them around and out of the way without misplacing anything.

I now know the next mod I'm making on the stand!
 
Sleeving - it works...


Same with loose women... If your woman is too loose "down there" just sleeve it... Stick a 12 lb ham up there and pull out the bone ---> nice and tight and good as new.... :D
 
Sleeving - it works...


Same with loose women... If your woman is too loose "down there" just sleeve it... Stick a 12 lb ham up there and pull out the bone ---> nice and tight and good as new.... :D
Gives a brand new meaning to "I porked her for 2 hours last night!!":rofl:
 
While you are fiddlin' with bolt holes, take a GOOD look at the rest of the stand. Is it one where the vertical bolts to the lower crossarm? I'd upgrade/ beef that. Consider adding (at least) a forward triangular brace between the vertical and the front horizontal. And, while you are worried about grade 8, I can assure you the rest of the factory hardware "ain't"
 
While you are fiddlin' with bolt holes, take a GOOD look at the rest of the stand. Is it one where the vertical bolts to the lower crossarm? I'd upgrade/ beef that. Consider adding (at least) a forward triangular brace between the vertical and the front horizontal. And, while you are worried about grade 8, I can assure you the rest of the factory hardware "ain't"

Sounds like good advice to me. Yes, the vertical bolts to the lower crossarm. The bolt heads read "SC 8.8" which are 116,000lb tensile strength - lower than a grade 5. I considered welding all of the components, but I'd like to be able to break it down when not in use. I think assembled properly with substantial hardware, it'll be stout enough to skip the welding hassle.

I do like that they at least updated the front part of the stand to a two-wheel crossmember, instead of the single wheel up front. That 3 wheeler design was terribly unstable. However, the bar they provide for turning the engine is about a foot long, and while rotating an assembled engine, doesn't provide nearly enough leverage to control all that mass when the heads go over and the weight shifts. I added a 36" bar and it works nicely. I've seen designs where folks add a sort of "steering wheel" to the front of the engine, which would seem to give better control when rotating, but for me the bar works just fine.
 
I'll withhold my typical commentary on the stand, and recommend only OEM and not hardware store screws. Most fasteners available today have a high likelihood of being Chinese counterfeit trash.

A trip to pick n pull will net you a lifetime supply for any motor, for the price of admission
Can't really agree with that. I've been buying Grade 8 bolts a various hardware stores for years and have never had a problem.
 
I drill and screw a rectangular piece of 1" thick plywood to the bottom spine of my engine stands to hold a catch pan or the guts so I can move them around and out of the way without misplacing anything.
I found a large plastic pan a bit larger than engine size to catch all fluids from teardown. It sits on the plywood like you use. I bought at Tractor Supply called a rabbit pan. Worked great.
 
Easy fix
Don't shop at HF. Problem solved.

I don’t disagree there, I usually try to invest in quality equipment. Do better brands have smaller holes on the ears of the stand? Or at least have options for smaller holes?
 
You need to go to the next aisle over in Harbor Freight where they sell the good engine stands. That is where I picked up this Mopar big block only engine stand.
stand.jpg
 
You need to go to the next aisle over in Harbor Freight where they sell the good engine stands. That is where I picked up this Mopar big block only engine stand.
View attachment 1715634899
That’s a good one!

I did do a Google search for a Mopar small block stand, and found nothing anywhere. Where did you get yours? Do they make them for small blocks? Gotta be honest, it looks shop made.
 
I retired a couple years ago. I wonder if I ever paid myself for this one? :lol:

100_4782.JPG
 
-
Back
Top